


The Last Page Of The Story

by TalksToSelf



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Except for the squirrels, M/M, Not so much an end as a beginning, Surprisingly cheerful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-11-27 20:20:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20954327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TalksToSelf/pseuds/TalksToSelf
Summary: Trapped in a church on their very last night on earth, Dean and Castiel get genre savvy.





	The Last Page Of The Story

Graveyards, thankfully, had a tendency to be attached to churches. It was highly hypocritical of him, ironic even, Dean supposed, to seek sanctuary from God’s wrath in a church of all places, but he didn’t give much thought to it as he bolted the church door behind him. He made to push a pew in front of the door and hesitated. Aside from the fact it was probably too heavy for him to shift on his own, if he barricaded the door and Sam or Castiel had the same idea... 

They were probably dead already. Dean shuddered at the thought. The onslaught of the undead had separated them, and his screams for them had gone unanswered. Maybe they’d made it back to the impala? Maybe they were together? Maybe they’d found a way out? Chances were they weren’t coming here. Still, he left the pew where it was. He was only delaying the inevitable. Every bad thing they’d ever sent to hell was right outside those doors. They’d get him eventually. 

He looked around in hope, did Catholic Churches stash the communion wine in the church? If he was gonna go out bloody he could at least be buzzed. He felt the gaze upon him and the hair on the back of his neck bristled. Sighing and bracing himself for another impact he turned to see Castiel. Bruised, bloodied, but alive. 

“Are you you?” He asked cautiously, not sure he trusted his instinct. Castiel gave a weak nod. He didn’t move as Dean wrapped his arms around him and hugged him close. “I thought you were dead.” Dean muttered. 

“No I... I lost them, I hid in here thinking it might give me a tactical advantage if they attacked.” Castiel whispered into Dean’s neck. He sounded broken. 

“And you didn’t lock the door?” Dean asked skeptically, pulling away slightly from the hug and assessing his friend. 

“I had hoped...” he swallowed hard and pulled back completely. “I thought you might come, Dean.” 

There was something heavy about his words, particularly the word ‘you’. Dean blinked slowly, trying to process it. Castiel had expected Dean to try the church. He hadn’t expected Sam. 

“No?” He whispered.

“I’m sorry.” Castiel’s broken voice was rough around the edges, not wanting to break the bad news.

“Are you sure? I mean... Sammy’s tough, he’s lived through...” Dean began but there was no light in Castiel’s eyes as he shook his head. No spark of hope. “Were you... were you with him?” He asked uncertainly. 

“No. I was busy trying to stave off... I saw from afar but no. No, I wasn’t with him.” 

_And there it was. Over the course of a few short days, Dean had lost everything. The mother he had already grieved so terribly once before, only having her back for a couple of brief years, before she had been snatched from him. The boy he had grown to love and care for as a father would a son. The brother he had spent his life trying to protect. All gone in the blink of an eye. _

The wind knocked from Dean’s lungs and he found himself on his knees on the cold concrete of the church floor. 

“Son of a...” He whispered. 

“I’m so sorry.” Castiel croaked. 

“He’s not supposed to go before me!” Dean growled. Castiel placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed softly. “After everything. Why?” He demanded. 

“Because Chuck’s still writing this story.” He reminded Dean quietly. “Because he wants you to suffer. He’s punishing you. Neither of us are surviving the night, Dean. But I suspect the story is supposed to end with you losing your son, your brother, and your best friend.” Castiel said grimly, accepting that he would likely go first. 

“Great. That’s just great.” Dean groaned. 

For a long moment there was silence. Slowly, Dean rose to his feet, a look of grim satisfaction on his face. 

“What do you say we Romeo and Juliet this play?” Dean asked. Castiel looked confused.

“He doesn’t control us.” Dean decided. “He gets no say. We pull a Hunger Games. Just...” he made a slitting motion, across his own throat. Castiel sighed heavily. 

“Suicide, rather than death by zombie?” He queried.

“Why not? If we’re going to die anyway why not just take away the bastard’s pleasure in killing us?” He demanded looking around, momentarily wild with anger. 

“We have no guns. No knives. We can’t get to the roof. It’s a church - short of trying to drown yourself in the font, there’s not much in the way of suicide aides in a church.” Castiel pointed out, uncomfortable with the idea of Dean attempting suicide, regardless of the extreme circumstances. “Oh and I refuse to kill you.” He added, before Dean could suggest angelic intervention. Dean howled in frustration, kicking the nearest wooden pew. 

_Dean’s final act of rebellion stifled he blinked tears from his eyes, the salt water streaking his cheeks. He could count on one hand the number of times he’d openly wept in front of people - or so he would have claimed, but if there was ever a time for it it was now._

“I think all we can do now is wait...” Castiel said softly. 

“THEN JUST KILL US ALREADY YOU SON OF A BITCH!” Dean roared, his echo bouncing off of the bare stone walls as he balled his hands into fists, ready to go out swinging. Castiel hesitated and stared at the door, frowning.

“Good point.” He murmured. He approached the door, standing inches from it and tilted his head curiously. “He’s omniscient. He knows where we are. Why aren’t they coming in?” 

“I dunno. Holy ground?” Dean shrugged, the anger leaving his body as the last of his fight died, realising they weren’t under attack.

“The graveyard is consecrated too. If they can kill us out there there’s no reason for them not to in here...” Castiel said curiously.

Dean took a deep breath, trying not to think about Jack’s body laying alone in the graveyard, about whether Sam had joined the hoardes of undead beings ready to tear them apart or if he’d been ripped limb from limb. Castiel had been so certain Sam was dead, even from afar that Dean assumed that must be what had happened. He didn’t want to picture it. He willed himself not to consider what the afterlife would hold for them - convinced Chuck’s story didn’t end with them in their own heavens leading a happy existence for all eternity.

“Oh.” He said softly. “Ever read the Supernatural books?” 

“Yes.” Castiel said. “Well, no. Metatron put them in my head.” He explained. 

“They’re full of every crappy story trope you can think of. I mean I’m not just saying that coz I’m pissed at Chuck - he’s a mediocre writer at best.” Dean insisted. “They’re not coming in because this is the climax.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “How many episodes of Dr Sexy did I make you watch?” He asked weakly. 

“All two hundred and four.” Castiel said, a little lost. 

“Two characters - life or death situation. Locked in a room together. What happens?” He promoted.

“They... talk.” Castiel said carefully. He wasn’t certain he was right.

“Exactly. There’s some big dramatic reveal. A confession. Someone’s secretly pregnant or having an affair with their boss or some crap. Those zombies don’t march through that door to kill us until we’ve talked about the elephant in the room.” Dean concluded. 

“Are we keeping secrets from each other?” Dean asked. They made eye contact and Dean paused in realisation. “Son of a... yeah.” He sighed. 

_He was correct of course. It was the grand finale. What would be the point of leaving loose ends? At the mercy of a cruel, capricious and slightly drunk God, both heroes dwelled on the secrets they had kept from the other. Dean, ever the romantic, thought he knew what it was he had to reveal before they could greet their deaths. Castiel, however, also thought he knew and not for the first time in their lives together they were not on the same page._

“I made a deal.” Castiel sighed. He sat down in the aisle and stared up at a stained glass window depicting a version of Gabriel. He was likely in the empty too. Castiel pondered his brothers fates matching his own, wondering how it was fair, in the cosmic balance of it all, that angels good and bad all wound up in the same place. 

“Wait what?” Dean blinked, confused and thrown slightly by the change of direction the conversation had taken. He sank to sit beside his friend. “What deal?”

“I don’t really think it matters now. We’re going to die anyway... but when Jack died I... I offered to take his place.” Castiel confessed. 

“Damn it, Cas.” Dean sighed. 

“He went to heaven... but the creature that controls the empty was hunting him down. It was willing to destroy heaven to get to him. Humans go to heaven... angels go to the empty. Jack is...” he paused and shook his head sadly. “was... half angel. The creature wanted him. I offered to take his place.”

“But you’re still here...” Dean wondered. Castiel laughed bitterly. 

“It said it would come for me when I was truly happy. When I finally let myself be happy, it would take me. I didn’t see the harm - happiness is hard to come by in our line of work. But not knowing when I’d die. Knowing that when I do there’s nothing waiting for me in the end. It seemed... surprisingly human.” Castiel hummed. “It didn’t seem such a high price to exchange for Jack’s soul.”

“I’m pissed at you.” Dean grumbled. “Because we’ve spent years establishing why making fucked up deals is a bad thing. But yeah... I guess... in your position I’d probably have done the same.” Dean admitted. He gave Castiel a half hearted punch in the arm. 

“I’m dying tonight anyway. I have no doubt the creature will snatch me anyway - but that’s the way it was always destined to be. I’m an angel, I was always going to end up in The Empty.” He shrugged. “So the deal is sort of... null and void I suppose.” 

Dean nodded. 

_For a long while there was silence. Dean smiled softly as he realised two things. The first was that each of them had been so willing to die to protect Jack, that they had truly loved him as family despite the way things had unfolded. The second was that despite Castiel’s revelation, the undead were not careering into their sanctuary, bent on destroying them. Which meant that there was still one final part of the story to tell. _

“So uh... guess it’s my turn for the confession.” Dean murmured. 

“Probably.” Castiel said dejectedly. Silence fell again as Dean struggled to find the words.

“I’m pretty sure that after I say this they’re gonna kill us so... I mean before I do the... the thing I... I just want to say goodbye. And thank you.”

“Thank me?” The shock in Castiel’s voice hit Dean as though the angel had physically slapped him. The guilt that he still didn’t understand how important he was to them even now twisted hot in Dean’s gut. 

“Yeah. You’ve been... hell you’ve been the best damn thing to ever happen to us. To me.” Dean murmured. He let his gaze fall to his muddy shoes, an immature thrill shooting through him at having dirtied the house of God. 

“You chose us. Other people chose to fight for our side or to join our lifestyle or whatever. You chose us. Me and Sam. Time and time again whether it was us against the angels or us against hell. You were right there with us. For us.”

“Not always.” Castiel pointed out, embarrassed. 

“Dude,” Dean said incredulously. “I was a demon, Sam was chugging blood, Jack lost his soul... we’ve all walked away sometimes. Don’t beat yourself up over it. The point is you were there when it counted. You always came back. To us. To me.” Dean picked at his shoe lace. “So thank you. For being the best fucking friend I could have asked for.”

“I can only extend you the same gratitude.” Castiel countered. “Thank you for teaching me how it felt to be human. I’m still an angel but... I’d like to think I’ve earned an honorary place among the people of earth. You taught me how to feel things, how to think for myself, how to fight. Really fight, I mean. For things I believe in, for things I care about. Not just for what I was told to.” 

This time their silence was graced with bittersweet smiles. 

“Okay. I should ah... I should probably just get this over with.” Dean took a deep breath then shook his head. He stood up and paced for a moment before opening his mouth, only to immediately close it again. The idea that death would follow his confession was decidedly less terrifying than actually confessing. He turned away for a moment and then turned back. “Okay here goes. I uh... I’m in love with you.” Dean grimaced. “Okay there I said it.” 

Castiel’s face contorted in a strange rollercoaster of emotions. Confusion, devastation, joy, and then back to devastation. 

“You’re in love me?” He asked carefully, climbing to his feet. Dean nodded grimly.

“Yeah. Have been for a long time. I know it’s not really your...” he rolled his hand “your deal or anything and I’m not upset that you don’t feel the same.” He was babbling. He knew he was babbling.

“Dean.” Castiel tried to interject. 

“Hell I was never gonna make things weird and say anything, I didn’t wanna bother you with it. Besides I kind of thought you sort of already knew and...” he continued. 

“Dean.” Castiel repeated more firmly, his tone stilling Dean in the middle of his rant. Dean blinked rapidly.

“Sorry?” He suggested. 

Castiel stared at him and disbelief.

“Sorry?” He asked incredulously. “Why are you sorry?”

“For making shit weird.” Dean shrugged. “I wasn’t going to say anything but I figured...”

“Dean. I’m in love with you too.” Castiel cut in. The same array of emotions danced over Dean’s face as he realised that Castiel was being sincere in his words - he wasn’t just trying to placate him in their final moments. The realisation that he truly loved Dean and that they could have had everything they wanted long ago, if either of them had been brave enough to voice it stung. 

“Oh.” He whispered. 

_The angel smiled sadly at the man who could have been his lover, an entire conversation passing between them unspoken. A decade of keeping quiet had done them no favours. They’d wasted time and now there was none left. For the bell was about to chime midnight and announce their location to the zombies who grew ever closer. Castiel hesitantly reach out to touch Dean’s cheek, still stained with tears. _

_“Fuck it...” Dean laughed. As he leaned in to kiss Castiel for what would be the first and final time, the clang of the church bell sounded from high above them. They ignored it. They ignored the flurry of activity they could hear outside as the creatures heard the bell and they kissed slowly and deeply, as though they had all the time in the world. _

_Which technically they did. The bell didn’t make it past its second chime. As Castiel’s heart soared with the adrenaline and bliss of true love’s first kiss, time stopped for all but them, the end of the world halted for just a brief moment. _

Dean pulled away, confused_._

“The bell stopped...” he frowned, looking up. Castiel moved in for another kiss but Dean turned his head. “No I mean it literally stopped...” he pointed upward. In the dark eaves above their heads the bell in its tower had frozen, tilted sharply left with its clapper bent in mid air. The noises from outside had fallen away to silence too. Castiel frowned.

“Oh.” He whispered, suddenly focusing on a point over Dean’s shoulder. Confused, Dean turned slowly around to see:

“Sam?” He breathed. 

“That’s not Sam.” Castiel whispered. True enough Sam’s figure stood in the church aisle, unharmed, dressed entirely in black, and grinning maliciously. The look was out of place on Sam’s face and Dean felt a chill in seeing it. “You’ve come for me then.” Castiel said quietly. It took Dean a moment to piece the puzzle together.

“I told you I would.” Said the creature that was most certainly not Sam.

“When I was happiest.” Castiel recalled. Dean felt like he’d been punched in the gut. The final twist in the tale - his admission had not lead to Castiel being torn apart by zombies by his side, but to his happiness - both resulting in the same fate. An eternity in the empty. 

“Say goodbye, Castiel.” The being said, snapping his fingers.

“No.” Dean yelled but there was nothing he could do. The Shadow vanished quickly, as though afraid of Dean. Before he could say goodbye, thick tendrils of ink snaked their way around Castiel’s form, and dragged the angel down into a thick puddle of blackness that disappeared in the blink of an eye. Dean stared at the spot where his not-quite-lover had been and quietly grieved his loss for only a moment before the bell resumed it’s siren call. 

“Goodbye, Cas.” Dean sighed, turning and steeling himself before he marched over to the doors, ready to go out on his own terms. Or as much on his own terms as he could under the circumstances. He threw the doors open and stared into the pitch black graveyard where disjointed figures were already making their way toward the clang of the chiming bell.

“COME AND GET ME YOU SONS OF BITCHES!” Dean bellowed into the night. 

_It was not a pretty death but a poetic one. The first time Dean had died, he’d been torn apart by hell hounds, the last time he would die he was torn apart by the undead. The last thing he saw was his own arm being ripped from its socket like a dog breaking a branch off a tree. He lost consciousness before they scraped his heart from his chest literally, but he’d already had it figuratively torn from him several times that night. Dean Winchester died alone, knowing that however much of his life he had spent screaming about free will and choice, he was always a pawn in a much larger game._

_Heaven is out of the question. I consider myself fairly forgiving but trying to kill God... yeah that gets you locked out of the upstairs. Hell? Considered it. Too many stray parts to factor in - one too many demons willing to switch sides and jailbreak them. I’m a busy god, I don’t have time to be chasing the Winchesters back into their box every few decades. So the only fitting end to this story is that, just like his brother, Jack, and Castiel before him, Dean’s death is followed by consumption from The Empty. _

_There is no happy ending for the Winchesters. Just an ending. _

_—————_

“Where the hell am I?” Dean blinked. The blackness of his surroundings pressed against his eyeballs, but a figure swam into view. Jet black but somehow visible against the stretch of darkness beyond it. Dean got the feeling it was smiling at him. “The Empty.” He sighed in realisation. The figure nodded. “So what I just... stare into space for the rest of forever?” Dean asked with a defeated shrug. The figure shook its head and reached for his hand. Dean stared for a long moment before figuring that he was already dead, the creature had stopped wearing Sam’s face at least, and that he had nothing to lose in following. He took the creature’s hand.

He felt as though he were flying, cool air whipping past his cheeks as the creature dragged him down, further into the eternal void. More figures appeared - hazy at first and then he spotted a familiar cloak. He blinked as he realised the closest person was Billie, but as they rapidly approached it became apparent who the other three figures were. 

Unharmed. Whole. 

Sam. Jack. Castiel. All smiling. All waiting to greet him. Dean was confused but accepted the enthusiastic hug from his brother.

“I thought you weren’t gonna come.” Sam murmured into his shoulder, squeezing Dean tightly as though afraid he’d slip away. “I thought he was going to keep you alive. Make you suffer.” He whispered.

“I’m here.” Dean said, letting Sam clutch at him for the moment it took to compose himself. He pulled back and laughed slightly. 

“Dean.” Jack’s voice was small. Dean turned to him and frowned slightly. “Dean, I’m sorry I...” Jack started.

“It’s been a long day, kid.” Dean cut in. “Shut up and get over here.” He gestured for Jack to bring it in for a hug, but Jack stayed rooted to the spot, looking cautious. Dean sighed and shook his head. “It wasn’t your fault.” He said honestly. “And all of it, it’s all forgiven and forgotten. I’m sorry that bastard iced you before we could clear the air properly.” He added, hugging Jack when he realised the boy was not going to make the move. Jack stayed frozen and whispered

“I never meant to hurt her.”

“I know.” Dean promised. “She went to heaven. Just so you know. She’s... happy. She’s okay.” He felt Jack relax slightly in his arms and cave in to the embrace. Dean caught Castiel’s eye over Jack’s shoulder - Castiel looking proud and quietly pleased that their family was whole again. 

“As for you.” Dean said playfully. “We were in the middle of something and you died. That’s kind of rude.” 

“My apologies.” Castiel said, unable to hide the smirk gracing his face. Jack pulled away and looked confusedly between the two of them, able to tell there was something going on but not able to determine what. Sam quirked an eyebrow, about to ask when Billie cleared her throat. 

“As charming as the family reunion is, we have a job to do.” She said pointedly.

“And what job is that?” Dean asked exasperatedly. “We’re going to save the world?”

“The world can’t be saved.” Billie said coldly. 

“It can’t? Billions of people... just... gone?” Sam whispered. All because he’d taken a shot at God? Billie smiled sadly at him.

“The world can’t be saved... the people can.” She insisted. “First of all...” She turned to the shadow. “Pick a face because you’re useless to me if you can’t talk.” 

They watched as the creature morphed, shrinking and growing clearer as it contorted to look like Mary Winchester. 

“God wasn’t the only one manipulating you.” It said. Dean shuddered, seeing his mother’s face once more. Jack stared at his shoes. 

“You were too.” Castiel concluded. 

“Yes. We were.” 

“Who do you think put the idea of sending you to The Empty in Chuck’s head? I couldn’t tell you what we were planning. That all seeing, all hearing pain in my ass would have put a stop to it. So I threatened you with The Empty. Made you fear it. Made you expect it.” Billie explained.

“I was already here.” Castiel pointed out.

“And annoying as hell.” The being that wasn’t Mary said, rolling her eyes. 

“We needed you all.” Billie insisted. “But you’re surprisingly hard to kill.” She narrowed her eyes at the group as though she personally blamed them for inconveniencing her with their unchosen resurrections. 

“Why did you need us all?” 

“Because Jack is powerful. But he’s half human. He can’t come anywhere near his full potential without that emotional balance. He needed you.” Billie explained. “All of you. To round him out, to raise him, to teach him how to be who he was always going to be.” 

“And who am I going to be?” Jack asked, confused. 

Billie and The Void smiled at each other. 

“Effectively... you’re the new god.” Billie told him. He blinked, confused.

“Chuck has no power here. This... all of this was here before his little universe. He controls what he built but this...” The empty creature gestured at the nothingness that surrounded it. “This is the canvas he worked from. You have the power to create everything he did. Better even. To create it your way...” 

“I don’t... I can’t... I don’t even have a soul.” Jack whispered, shaking his head violently. Sam squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. 

“You got that back when you died.” Billie said, sounding bored. 

“It’s too much! I can barely fly a knife straight, I can’t create a whole universe!” Jack protested. 

“Yes you can. I’ve already seen it.” Castiel said softly, in realisation. “When Kelly was pregnant... I saw the world you made. The paradise you could create...” 

“And he never once stopped believing you could do it.” Dean added. Jack looked lost. 

“I don’t want to be God.” He whispered, broken. He didn’t want the responsibility. 

“Then don’t be God. Be Jack.” Sam said kindly. “Using your powers to help people... that sounds like a very Jack thing to do.” 

Scared, Jack glanced at his family, then back to Billie and The Empty. He nodded.

“Show me what to do.” 

—————————

“Is it anything like you pictured it?” Dean asked, setting a mug of coffee in front of Castiel.

“I’m still getting used to this being human thing.” Castiel shrugged, sitting down at the bunker’s table. A replica, but an exact one nonetheless, down to the initials carved into the surface. 

“Yeah... a world without supernatural creatures... we’re out of a job.” Dean chuckled, staring at the ceiling.

“A world without squirrels.” Castiel pointed out.

“Jack’s working on that.” Dean laughed. Castiel thought the carefree look on his face suited him. He sipped at his coffee and hummed pleasantly at the taste. That he could get used to. 

“Are we going to tell them we’re together?” Castiel questioned, glancing across the room to where Sam was googling squirrel reference photos (which didn’t really help considering Jack had recreated the internet and all its contents) and Jack was sulking like the toddler he was because he couldn’t get the eyes quite right. 

“When things calm down, yeah.” Dean promised, nudging his foot against Castiel’s knee under the table. “Has he invented beaches yet?”

“I’m not sure.” Castiel mused.

“When he gets to it... beach trip? Been a long time since we had a vacation.” Dean grinned at his boyfriend. Castiel stared fondly at him and then at Jack and Sam.

“I think a vacation sounds perfect.” He agreed. 


End file.
